Gravity’s No Match for This Cantilevered Cabin in Estonia

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Project Details:

Location: Jõeranna, Estonia

Architect: Arsenit / @arsenit

Footprint: 205 square feet

Builder: Levstal Group

Structural Engineer: SD Engineers

Civil Engineer: AS Infragate Eesti

Cabinetry Design: ITB Interior OÜ

Photographer: Yifan Liu

From the Architect: "Piil, named for the Estonian word piiluma meaning peeking or looking, is an elegant, 30-foot-tall prefabricated treehouse with a compact plan, elevated to minimize ground-level presence and provide generous views out to the vast Estonian wilderness.

"The structure stands on one ‘leg,’ suspended over a terrace to create an open-air ‘living room’ sheltered from rain and snow. A discreet door provides access inside, with the cladding layer peeled back to reveal the metal structure supporting the impressive cantilever. Both the leg and the accommodation modules above act as large steel trusses—made in-house by the client, metal manufacturer Levstal Group. Wrapped in pine cladding, the leg contains a staircase, services, and a sports equipment storage area. The raised bedroom provides greater seclusion, a unique vantage point, and an opportunity to rest among tree branches.

"The interior of the space is conceived as a large piece of joinery, all in white-washed oak. The interplay of levels allows horizontal surfaces to be used informally as tables, seats, or display spaces, while the vertical timber paneling adds a treehouse-like quality. Piil offers the facilities for remote work and comfortable rest: a king size bed, two working tables, a kitchenette, ample concealed storage, and a generous bathroom with a top-lit shower. The main highlight is the huge window / skylight paired with the generous hammock mezzanine—a place to feel suspended mid-forest, with nothing but the panoramic view ahead and the gentle sway of treetops above.

"Externally, Piil is finished in untreated, thermally modified pine by Thermory, a material that requires little maintenance and will weather gracefully to a silver gray, helping the building blend in with the pine tree forest. The use of this rainscreen cladding with a square cross-section adds visual depth; filters light and air into the building while giving it a monolithic appearance; provides shade to the openable window; encloses a ground-level storage space; screens services and MVHR grilles. Finally, the directionality of the timber cladding accentuates Piil’s unique form.

"All the elements of Piil are designed to be finished in a factory off-site and then delivered to remote and scenic locations, where they are assembled into a whole. Off-site fabrication means a higher level of workmanship, resulting in a well-insulated accommodation unit with triple-glazed low-E glazing. An efficient air-source heat pump with MVHR provides ventilation, heating, cooling, and hot water throughout most of the year, with additional support from an integrated radiator or external condenser on particularly cold or hot days.

"The first, prototype version of Piil was completed in early 2023. In total, four Piils are planned for the site, where they have been carefully positioned using a point cloud model of the forest to frame sunset views of the Jägala river.